Thanksgiving in the Country

Thank you to Uncle Greg and Aunt Ann for hosting Thanksgiving at their house! The combination of a great setting, delicious food, good company, and beautiful weather made for an all around wonderful day.

I had 41 pictures for this post, but that's a little overwhelming (for readers and Blogger) so I'm moving all the pictures of Michael's Cat to it's own post. Now I only have 29 pictures.

You can tell that the kids are getting more time with family, because it takes them no time at all to settle in to the big family gatherings now. Michael Jr almost immediately showed Uncle Tommy his patented wrestling move: run at you at full speed, wrap his arms around your knees, and head-butt you in the legs.

They're buddies.

Aunt Ann took great care of the kids. There was macaroni and cheese at lunch, crayons on the table, and fun play hats.

After we ate turkey and oyster stuffing and gravy and ham and Gouda mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese and corn bread and corn casserole and fluffy salad and delicious Asian finger foods and who knows what else for lunch, we elected to walk some of it off before dessert. And we found llamas.

PawPaw made a new friend.

With benefits.

But the kids chose to throw apples at to the llamas and walk Lyla.

Then we went back in for dessert. There were at least as many different desserts as people.

But we couldn't stay inside long - it was just too beautiful out. Uncle Greg was prepared.

First up: the golf cart electric vehicle. They LOVED this little car. They rode.

They drove.

They switched drivers.

Don't worry, this is pretend. We didn't actually let her drive solo.

Then it was on to the tractor rides.

See Catherine's tuft of hair sticking up? She will not pass up an opportunity to steer something.

Pretending to steer something is almost as good.

There was no end to the fun (until bed time). Revering your big sister...

Watching football with Daddy...

Hanging with Aunt Jena...

And chatting with our beautiful hostess...

Michael Jr got some t-ball practice in also.

His mechanics need a little work still.

But he can say "ball" - that's something.

And I can't forget to point out Spencer Petunia Googley Eyes Spatula (aka cousin Dane):

It turns out he and Sheila are ideal hide-and-seek players, mostly in that they are willing to stick with it for nearly an hour. The kids had so much fun that they did their best to argue, stall, and refuse their way out of leaving at the end of the day.

Up next, Michael's Cat...